Aeroponics, or the growth of plants in air has been known for some time. F. W. Went describes experimental apparatus for growing plant roots in a vaporized nutrient in a publication entitled "The Experimental Control of Plant Growth" (1957) Cronica Botanica Co. Waltham, Mass. at pages 81-83. Even earlier, in a publication entitled "A Method of Growing Plants in Water Vapor to Faccilitate Examination of roots", Phytopathology Volume 32 pages 623-625, 1942, W. A. Carter described apparatus for growing plants with their roots in water vapor. In an article entitled "Method for Growing Plants Aeroponically", in Plant Physiology (1976) Vol. 57, pages 344-346, Zobel et al describe an experimental growing box employing a rotating spinner for mist generation. The above publications, extending over more than 35 years, all relate to experimental devices designed to permit examination and relatively free access to plant roots for treatment, all within a research context. The advantages of soil-less and detached media for propagation and cultivation of many horticultural crops are self-evident. All these systems, including many types of hydroponic units, rely on the use of a solid medium to support the roots. Aeroponics is a unique method of propagating and growing plants with their root systems enclosed within a fog chamber. The advantages of this system were discussed previously (Acta Horticulturae, 1981).
Two patents relating to the above mentioned system (an Israeli patent No. 50126 and a U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,105), describe in details the technique which has been developed for commercial applications in growing plants aeroponically.
Recently, we invented a new fog-aeroponic method which alleviates the need for high water pressure and filtration devices. Physiologically, it provides for maximal aeration, combined with adequate, continous, water, and nutrient supply to the plant. Taken together, these advantages allow uninterrupted growth of both roots and shoots.